National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) concerns raised by RNIB Cymru that around 80,000 people who are the highest risk of irreversible sight loss are waiting beyond their target date for an appointment;

b) that in April 2024, there were over 104,000 patient pathways in Wales waiting for an ophthalmology appointment; and

c) that the Royal College of Ophthalmologists estimates that demand for eye-care services in Wales is expected to increase by 40 per cent over the next 20 years.

2. Regrets that:

a) the biggest increase in the number of patient pathways waiting over a year was in ophthalmology;

b) the ophthalmic workforce has seen a 2 per cent drop in its workforce alongside a 56 per cent increase in referrals in the past decade; and

c) the electronic patient record and referral system, first launched in 2021, is still not operational across Wales.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) accept the recommendations of the National Clinical Strategy for Ophthalmology and commit to making the investment necessary to prevent the wholesale collapse of eye-care services across Wales;

b) set out targets and deadlines for improving waiting-list backlogs, ensuring patients waiting receive communication about their clinical risk; and

c) publish a timetable for the development and rollout of the electronic patient record and referral system.